News / Bankruptcy warning
LOCAL whitefish boats could go out of business as the incoming ban on dumping fish destroys fishing communities along the Scottish coast.
This is the stark warning from the Scottish whitefish industry ahead of the crucial December fisheries council meeting in Brussels.
The Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association (SWFPA) and the Shetland Fishermen’s Association (SFA) said politicians needed to wake up and prevent European Commission officials from bankrupting large swathes of the industry.
SFA executive officer Simon Collins said official appeared to be dismissive of the serious impediments the discards ban could have when it comes into force for the whitefish sector in 2016.
“There is a lack of urgency among bureaucrats in Brussels. It is shocking how detached they are from the realities of their policies and the impacts they are likely to have on the communities they are paid to serve,” he said.
Mike Park, chief executive of the SWFPA, added: “No fisherman that I know is happy throwing perfectly good fish back into the sea, which is why both the SWFPA and SFA support the intent of the landings obligation.
“However, without significant increases in quota and the introduction of flexibilities to the quota system, it simply will not work.
“Fishing boats will go out of business because the new rules mean that all fishing must stop when vessels run out of the first quota.
“We call on the governments of all member states to recognise the serious dangers of allowing a ban to go ahead without significant additional changes to the management regime and the way they set catch limits.”
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